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We aren't too far into 2017 and it seems technology is a main focus. From widely-publicized cyber-attacks to major technology company mergers and acquisitions, technology news is dominating the airways. What we know for certain is that IT will continue to evolve at a rapid pace.

SD-WAN ExpansionWe brought this to your attention in October, but in case you missed it, Software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) is the wave of the future. We expect as demand increases, there will be more disruptions in the industry.

Predictions are that within three years, 30% of users will manage their WAN through the SD software, and others estimate that figure to be more like 70%. Being an early adopter of SD-WAN has clear connectivity and cost advantages.

WHAT IS SD-WAN?​Software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) is a specific application of software-defined networking (SDN) technology applied to wide area network (WAN) connections, which are used to connect one or more offices over large geographic distances.​“SDN is an architecture, where as SD-WAN is a technology you can buy."-Andrew Lerner, Analyst

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?One advantage of SD-WAN is its ability to manage multiple types of connections. This can cut costs, because the technology can use Internet broadband connections services via the cloud and replace more expensive solutions, such as routing hardware. Since SD-WAN can be controlled through the cloud, it is more flexible and can be scaled during peak demand.

For rural sites with limited connectivity, SD-WAN can provide enough bandwidth to use voice over IP (VoIP) and process credit card transactions.

Additionally, its virtualization technology is applied to security and virtual private networking (VPN) technology, making them more secure. ​Connect with your broker to see if this is an option for your business.

Simplified Communications, based in Minneapolis, MN, has national relationships with all major carriers. Let us Simplify the process of putting together the perfect network solution, including broadband, cloud services, and phone systems.

If half of your (or your employee's) day is spent walking to the water cooler as you wait for that file to download... then keep reading.

Critical cloud-based platforms have made the need for reliable bandwidth more important than ever. You may have forgotten about capacity and network management, and that's causing a bottleneck effect. In a cloud-based world, your network is critical... as are your servers and data that is hosted in the cloud. Network traffic will only continue to increase. Now the network has become part of the cloud.You will need to look at maximizing the efficiency of your existing network, which is especially true for smaller businesses with fewer resources.

WAN Optimization - One strategy to optimize your network is WAN Optimization, which is a collection of techniques to manage and reduce network traffic including:

Caching - Caching locally stores and pre-populates data such as images and other elements that are commonly requested by your user's browsers. A corporate logo for example is cached (or saved) and served locally, saving bandwidth.

De-duplication - De-duplication removes network traffic associated with data backups by performing a single complete backup of a given file(s), and then only sends changed portions of those files over time, rather than the entire file.

Compression - Compression reduces the size of the data being sent across the network, removing unnecessary portions of the file(s) in question, and thus reducing the amount of traffic being transmitted.

Broadband bonding - Broadband networks offer relatively large bandwidth at a cost-effective rate. When you combine several broadband and Internet connections into a single, unified connection (broadband bonding), it provides scalability and fault tolerance.​WAN traffic management - Most businesses just don't know how to manage their network traffic effectively, which wastes resources. Moving into the cloud causes more inefficiencies. WAN traffic management identifies and prioritizes critical traffic, increasing the efficiency of your network.The network and cloud are quickly becoming the same and interchangeable. Stay in the forefront of your network by improving its efficiency.

SD-WAN has less than 1% of the market share today, but predictions estimate that within three years, 30% of users will manage their WAN through the SD software, and others estimate that figure to be more like 70%. Being an early adopter of SD-WAN has clear connectivity and cost advantages.

WHAT IS SD-WAN?​Software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) is a specific application of software-defined networking (SDN) technology applied to wide area network (WAN) connections, which are used to connect one or more offices over large geographic distances.

“SDN is an architecture, where as SD-WAN is a technology you can buy."-Andrew Lerner, Analyst

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?One advantage of SD-WAN is its ability to manage multiple types of connections. This can cut costs, because the technology can use Internet broadband connections services via the cloud and replace more expensive solutions, such as routing hardware. Since SD-WAN can be controlled through the cloud, it is more flexible and can be scaled during peak demand.

For rural sites with limited connectivity, SD-WAN can provide enough bandwidth to use voice over IP (VoIP) and process credit card transactions.

Additionally, its virtualization technology is applied to security and virtual private networking (VPN) technology, making them more secure.

Connect with your broker to see if this is an option for your business.